LETTER TO MEMBERS

We are delighted to showcase the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Shops and Licensing programs in this issue of Member News.

It was 56 years ago, in 1965, when the Foundation opened a small retail space in the basement of today’s New Mexico Museum of Art. Since then, we have added shops in the three other state museums in Santa Fe, with a fifth shop destined for the new Vladem Contemporary opening in the Railyard Arts District in 2022. All of our shops also have a dynamic online presence at shopmuseum.org.

Led by the expert eye and experience of Sara Birmingham, our vice president of retail, the Shops program is vital to fulfilling our mission to support the Museum of New Mexico system. The shops enrich the visitor experience at our four state museums in Santa Fe. Their revenues bolster the Foundation’s operations so that we, in turn, can generate private funding for exhibitions and educational programs at all 13 of our affiliated cultural institutions.

Admittedly, this past year has been challenging for the Foundation’s retail business, prompting the temporary closure of our four physical shops this past winter. We plan to reopen in April and continue building upon our 56-year record of retail success. Our online shops remain open for business in the meantime.

The Foundation’s Licensing program was founded in 1998 by Pamela Kelly, our vice president of licensing and brand management. During the past two decades, the program has generated over $1 million in support for the Museum of New Mexico system while also promoting our diverse museum collections to a worldwide audience.

Licensing is an innovative approach to earning revenue and building awareness that is usually the domain of much larger museums than ours. It is the distinctive collections in our museums, combined with Pamela’s extraordinary design sense and entrepreneurial skills, that have made this program such a success.

Thank you for helping sustain these special programs in good years and challenging years. Remember that your membership affords you special discounts in our shops and at shopmuseum.org. Your patronage supports the Foundation, the Museum of New Mexico system, and talented artists in New Mexico and throughout the world.

Sincerely,

Jamie Clements President/CEO

Photo © Saro Calewarts.